The commission's mostly censored blue book ... or should that be black book? Photo: Markus Mannheim

It advises on cutting spending, the upcoming round of public service wage negotiations and improving the bureaucracy's capability.

A section called " 'rightsizing' the Australian Public Service", which addresses the Coalition's promise to shed 12,000 jobs, is almost entirely censored.

However, the document does contain a blacked-out projection of government staffing. The commission and the Finance Department have previously said they do not prepare such forecasts.

The brief also advises on anti-corruption efforts and the reducing the amount of sick leave taken by public servants, though again the advice is mostly censored.

The commission's chief human capital officer, Ian Fitzgerald, who decided which parts of the brief to release, acknowledged "the public interest in matters concerning public sector employment policies".

However, he listed 15 factors that influenced his decision to suppress information, such as "the interest in establishing a working and trusting relation with a new minister" and "the interest in ensuring the minister is provided with a high quality full and frank written record of all the policy priorities and challenges facing a new government".

Most government departments have either refused to release their blue books or decided to charge a fee to access them.